Follow That Dream

A three CD 27-song set, Follow That Dream is the definitive concert bootleg from the River Tour. It comes from a show at the Johnanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden, on May 7, 1981. The show finds Bruce Springsteen explicitly taking on the mantle of some of his illustrious predecessors: He begins with a version of the Elvis Presley hit that gives the album its title, adding his own words; Creedence Clearwater Revival leader John Fogerty is recalled in covers of "Who'll Stop the Rain" and the final encore, "Rockin' All over the World"; and he evokes Woody Guthrie (and Presley again) in "This Land Is Your Land," also with added lyrics. By this point, seven months into the tour, Springsteen was focusing less on promoting The River (though nine of its songs were featured) than on surveying his entire career and presenting a history of American popular music, as well as stating his personal philosophy about keeping "the promise" embodied in the music (notably in a solemn introduction to "Independence Day"). The energy level is high, and a straight listen to this marathon performance is an exhilarating, if exhausting, experience. (The recording seems to be an audience tape, but the sound quality is very good nevertheless. "The River" is incomplete.)